Tech notes

Jun 28 2007 By Herb Kim, The Journal

Don't make me think! Those were the words of respected usability expert Steve Krug way back in 2000, and, despite the speed with which the Web has moved in the seven years since, his words still ring true today. 'Web usability' is often spoken about hand-in-hand with web accessibility (which was covered in last week's Tech Notes), and refers to the art of making your website easy to use.

Sounds simple, huh? And it is, but only if you know how to do it.

Today, perhaps more than ever before, businesses stake their fortunes and their futures on the success of their websites. So how do you make a website easy to use, requiring a minimum of thought?

* Make things self-evident. Make it obvious if things are clickable: if it's a button, make sure it looks like a button; if it's a link, make sure it looks like a link. Making things overcomplicated (calling a search box `quick search' rather than plain ole `search,' for example) adds to the mental chatter.

* Scannability is key. Web users don't read pages, they scan them - so design pages with a clear visual hierarchy. The more important something is, the more prominent it should be, and things that are related logically should be related visually.

* Don't redesign the wheel. Although a young medium, websites have built up a number of conventions that help us to use them more easily. Stick to these conventions as much as possible - they're your friends. So, your logo goes in the top left of every page (clicking on it takes you back to the home page), your navigation goes on the left or horizontally at the top of the page, and so on.

* Omit needless words. When writing for the web, clarity is your ultimate goal, so reduce what Krug calls `happy talk' (waffle that uses up space) and use hyperlinks, emboldened words, headings and sub-headings to make the text easier to scan.

* Navigation. Usability guru Jakob Nielsen identified two types of web users: those who prefer to use a search box to find what they're looking for, and those who prefer to browse through using the signs and navigation bars on your website. Make both options available to users.

* The big picture. The home page is rightly recognised as the most important of your website, and everyone within your company will want their own prime real estate on it. As a consequence, the most important piece of information - what the site is - often gets lost in the mire. Make sure this doesn't happen with yours.

When designing and adding content to your website, you won't go too far wrong if you remember this simple mantra: if something's hard to use, people simply won't use it as much.

Herb Kim is the CEO of Codeworks, the North-East's centre of digital excellence.